Bond secures 35m in product placement deals

The next Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies, has secured product placement deals with five companies, the combined value of which is 35m.

The five companies are BMW, watchmaker Omega, Bollinger champagne, Smirnoff vodka, and direct computer seller Gateway 2000.

The deal with BMW, using its 7 series saloon car, is worth 17m and is by far the biggest of the contracts (MW April 24). The other four companies make up the remaining 15m.

The deals comprise a series of worldwide joint marketing ventures, which will see these companies dedicate a part of their marketing budget to promotions centred on the film, to be released in December.

All but one of the companies also had product placement deals with the most recent Bond film, Goldeneye, in 1995. The only change is that Perrier drops out to make way for Gateway 2000.

Gordon Arnell, marketing director of Eon Productions which makes the Bond films, confirms the deal, saying: “What we are after are partners which will work hard to promote the film widely around the world.”

The inclusion of Gateway 2000 is a surprise in some quarters. However, Arnell says: “We have to mock up a satellite station during the shooting of this film. We thought we needed a big computer company for this.”

The court hearing for the 72m civil suit Reebok has filed against Tristar Pictures, for allegedly breaking a product placement agreement in the film Jerry Maguire, has been delayed. The case was originally scheduled for May, but will now be heard in a Los Angeles court this autumn.